


And Back

by HumsHappily



Series: Angel Tears [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Stucky - Freeform, bucky's return
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 21:16:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3425891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HumsHappily/pseuds/HumsHappily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Steve woke with a gasp, coughing up murky, blood tinged, river water. He rolled onto his side, hearing the murmurs of a crowd surrounding him. </i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>“Captain, are you alright?” A hand reached out and Steve flinched away, his muscles aching from exhaustion. His head thudded back down on the river bank, chill from the mud seeping deep into his already healing bones.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>“Buck.” <i></i></i></p>
            </blockquote>





	And Back

**Author's Note:**

> While this is a follow up to my piece, Only One First Dance, which can be found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3384254), this may be read as a one shot.

_Steve stretched, small body arching on the bed. He blinked, eyes opening to take in the dimly lit room. Soft violet light filtered in through the white curtains. Bucky was still sleeping, gaze darting rapidly around beneath his eyelids. Steve smiled, reaching a hand out to shake his shoulder. “Buck. Com’on. Wake up.”  Bucky woke slowly, body shifting about as he turned his sleepy gaze on Steve._

_“Mornin’ Buck.” Steve smiled softly._

_“Mornin’  Stevie.” Bucky smiled back, hand going to squeeze Steve’s where it rested on his shoulder._

_“Buck?” Steve asked, brow furrowing as the lights outside the window began to flash, fading though each color of the rainbow. “How did we get here?”_

_“I dunno, Stevie. Enjoy it.”  Bucky said, raising his arms lazily above his head. “You know it never lasts.”_

_“What never lasts?”_

_“This.”_

_Steve scooted up on the bed, sitting with his knees bent, sheet pooling over his naked lap. “What do you mean, Buck? Is something gonna happen?”_

_“Something already did, Stevie. You just don’t remember right now. You’ll remember soon, an’ then you’ll wake up.” Bucky gave a soft smile.  “It’s okay though. I like spending this time with you. I don’t get much time with you now. You’ve stopped dreaming  as much as you did.”_

_“What are you talking about, Buck? What will I remember?  I’m already awake.”_

_“No, you’re not. C’mere Stevie.” Buck took Steve’s hands and pulled him down once more to lie on his side beneath the soft white covers. He looked at Steve, and smiled, slow breath loud in the silence of the room. Steve smiled back, lifting one hand to run it through Bucky’s hair, wavy with sleep.  “Gonna just look at me, or you gonna kiss me, angel boy?”_

_“Angel boy? I haven’t heard that in ages…..” Steve said, trailing off in confusion._

_Bucky gave a sad chuckle. “You’re remembering already.” He sighed, bringing a hand up to stroke softly over Steve’s shoulder, allowing it to drift down, sliding along the sheet to rest at the crest of Steve’s hip._  
_“Steve? Remember the night I tried to teach you to dance?” Bucky’s eyes were earnest as he gazed at Steve._

_“Course I do, Buck. ”_

_“You were terrified to lose me that night.  I’ve been terrified of losing you since the day I met you.”_

_“Are you surprised? I’m not healthy, Buck.”_

_“No, angel boy, I’m not surprised. I’m just surprised God didn’t decide to take you back up to heaven already.” Bucky ran his hand around Steve, sliding it up over his chest, resting his palm over Steve’s heart._

_“My momma used to say the same.”_

_“I know. She was a good woman Steve. I miss her too.”_

_Steve toyed with the blanket, weaving the ends between his fingers. He sighed and let it fall._

_“Life ain’t fair, Buck.  Everyone gets hurt sometimes. I don’t think I could handle it if I lost you. Not now.”_

_Bucky smiled sadly at Steve, moving his hand back to the other’s hip._

_“Buck, how did we get here? I still don’t understand.” Steve said, resting his hand atop Bucky’s. Bucky opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud crack echoing around the room.  “Oh my god! What was that?” Steve tried to sit up and look around, but Bucky yanked him back down. “Hey!”_

_“Steve. Kiss me.”  Bucky’s voice was strained, wavering slightly._

_“Buck?”_

_“Kiss me. You always wait too long.”_

_“Too long?”_

_“Steve. Kiss me.” Bucky repeated, pleading. He drew Steve close with shaking arms, tucking his head into the blonde’s chest. Steve looked down at him in confusion._

_“Buck, what’s wrong?”_

_Another loud crack echoed through the room, like of an iceberg cracking in two._

_“Buck, we gotta move, I think something’s wrong.” Steve was beginning to worry, looking at the man clasped against his front. “Buck!”_

_Bucky looked up at Steve, eyes full of tears. “Too late, Stevie.”_

_Steve watched in horror as Bucky pulled away, as the bed fell out from under them, floor shattering into blood stained diamonds. He screamed wordlessly as Bucky reached a hand up to him as he fell, body crumbling into snow before it could hit the ground, the flakes swept away by a gust of wind. Steve clung to something, some unknown metal, so cold it burned his bare skin, palms scarring over. His body was shaking as he sobbed, the icy air tearing Bucky’s name from his lips, swallowing his cries with its voracious hunger._

  
***

 Steve Rogers woke in his empty apartment, jerking upright in his bed. He curled his knees to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut in the dark of the room. Rocking himself back and forth, he allowed a soft, longing whine to slip from his throat. The display of the clock on the bedside table flashed to two a.m. and he groaned. Sliding from the bed, Steve stumbled to the bathroom, leaving his sheets to lie, tangled and twisted until the next night. His bare chest was chilled and aching as he pulled on a fresh t-shirt, hiding his skin away. He grabbed the tape to wrap his hands from the top dresser drawer, slung on a hoodie and some shoes, and exited the bedroom, door shutting soundly behind him as he made his way down the hall.

Steve made his way into the New York night, taking comfort in the streets, bustling and full around him even at the late hour. What better place for a man who cannot sleep, than the city that never does.

 

***

 The black mask clattered to the ground, and the world stopped turning. Steve’s breath caught in his chest, as the blood pounded in his head.

 “Bucky?”

 “Who the hell is Bucky?”

 ***

"Cause...I'm with you...to the end of the line." 

Steve fell then, spiraled down through the air. His shield was lost somewhere among the wreckage, uniform ripped and torn. His eyes were closed before he hit the river, even as the carrier crumpled, flaming wreckage falling around him.

 ***

 Steve woke with a gasp, coughing up murky, blood tinged water. He rolled onto his side, hearing the murmurs of a crowd surrounding him.

“Captain, are you all right?” A hand reached out and Steve flinched away, his muscles aching from exhaustion. His head thudded back down on the river bank, chill from the mud seeping deep into his already healing bones.

“Buck.”

***

“You're going after him.”

 “You don't have to come.”

 “I know. When do we start?”

 ***

 

The winter soldier stares at the face on the screen.

**_Identify: "Bucky"_ **

The face pulls at his brain.

_Target? No. Asset? Unclear._

_Name: James Buchanan Barnes_

_Status: Deceased_

_-Best friend of Captain Steven Grant Rogers_

**_Note: Previous target. Mission overrode._ **

_-Fell to his death (DATE) while on a mission with The Howling Commandos_

_-Birthplace: New York_

_-Nickname: "Bucky"_

****

_"_ Who the hell is Bucky?"

 

***

“Bucky. Put the knife away.” Steve gasped, arms outstretched, nearly crouched, trying to calm. The assassin, took another menacing step forward, hand clenched tight around his blade. Falcon hovered nearby, holding under Steve’s orders, watching the scene unfold with trepidation.

 “Buck. C’mon. You know me.” Steve’s voice quieted, “Tell me you remember.”

He took a careful, bowed step forward, the other man growling as Steve advanced.

“We used to steal Mrs. Martinelli’s apples together. We collected the seeds of each one we ate. Stored ‘em in a sock under your bed. We were gonna start an orchard on the roof of the building, remember?”  

“And then that other time when old man Reykjavik caught you, scaling the fire escape into Annie’s apartment? I had to come save your ass, explain you were only there to fix the window.”

Steve paused as the Winter Soldier cocked his head, considering this memory.

 “Remember the night you tried to teach me to dance?”  Steve said, standing up to his full height, “And we kissed for the first time, after we fell?”

Falcon murmured softly at this, unsurprised. Steve ignores him, taking a step forward. The Winter Soldier freezes as Steve is suddenly illuminated.

 “Angel boy...”  The Winter Soldier’s voice echoes his thoughts. Sunlight streams from a hole in the patchy warehouse ceiling, turning Steve’s hair golden, his skin creamy white and smooth, despite the ash and dirt smeared over his face.  “My angel.”

Steve nodded as the soldier came forward, stretching his hand out. “The knife, Buck. Please.” The soldier analyzed, looked at the knife in his hand, looks at the floating man to the side. He threw the knife away, hearing it clatter to the ground as he fell to his knees, worshiping the angel in front of him. The soldier blinked, looking up at the target, the mission, the face that haunted his dreams.

“Steve?” Bucky said, awareness filtering in, brain slowly coming back online. He hurt, muscles heavy, head pounding. His arms felt heavy, palms on the ground, supporting him.

“You found me. You came for me.”

Steve dropped to his knees, big body enveloping Bucky. He buried his head into the man’s neck, muttering fervent prayer of thanks. He pulls away, Bucky blinking in confusion as his arms move to cradle his face. He tipped his head forward, kissing Bucky gently on the forehead.

“Steve?” Bucky murmured,  “You came.”

“Hell and back, Buck. That’s where I’d go for you.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> And as always, find me [here](http://hums-happily.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.  
> Any notification of errors are accepted with gratefulness that knows no bounds.  
> Kudos, comments, and your happy (pained) flailing are accepted with glee. I hope you enjoyed!  
> 


End file.
